Health Care Debate

President Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress last night about the health care legislation that is moving through Congress. He outlined what he would like the legislation to contain. There is justifiably great debate over the cost of new health care legislation and the impact that it would have on our national debt and the economy. Many fear that to provide health care for every American will come at too great of an expense and that as a result our taxes will spiral out of control and/or the quality of our health care will go down. A large segment of our society truly fear what is commonly referred to as "Socialized Medicine."

We have all heard the horror stories of long waits and people dying while waiting to receive treatment for their ailment. I remember reading a story about how a Canadian woman who went into labor prematurely with major complications had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital in the U.S. This story seemed to dramatically underscore the problem with "Socialized Medicine." But, upon further investigation it was revealed that the Canadian hospital was perfectly capable of caring for the woman and her child, but their neo-natal unit was full to capacity and that in order to provide the best care for them both, they were moved to the U.S. hospital. The point is that often times the stories that we hear about unacceptable healthcare in other countries with "Socialized Medicine" are not always as dramatic as they first seem.

The President outlined many aspects of this health care reform that he would like to see included in the upcoming bill. Republicans need to stay engaged in the process and not just opt out because they do not get to showcase all of their ideas about health care. The Democrats won control of the Congress and the White House and now they have the opportunity to try things their way. Democrats need to remember that with leadership comes responsibility. They have a responsibility to make sure that the concerns of all Americans are addressed and not to run rough shod over the opposition, just because they can. Both parties need to remember that they represent all Americans and that we sent them to Washington to serve the people.

We have government run Fire Departments, Police Departments, Ambulance Services, Roads, Schools, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Veterans Administration, FBI, Airports, MIlitary, etc., etc., etc. Most of the time this myriad of local, state & federal agencies provide us with outstanding services and a better quality of life. Let's not shy away from providing all Americans health care just because the government is involved.